2001: Eric Holder used 9/11 to argue more gun control laws

In the wake of the revelation about Holder’s comments on brainwashing people against guns, I dug up this 2001 article from Lexis Nexus where, just weeks after 9/11, Holder penned an article in the Washington Post using the tragedy of 9/11 to argue for more gun control – specifically, private gun sales at gun shows:

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the nation is eager for ways to increase security at home — and understandably so. These unspeakable crimes have taken thousands of innocent lives, devastated countless families and made us feel a new and terrible kind of vulnerability. Throughout the country, people are having the same conversations: How could this happen? How do we cope with it? And what can we do, as a nation and as individuals, to safeguard against further acts of terrorism? …

One measure that is an essential part of any plan is the need to tighten our nation’s gun laws, which allow the easy and legal sale of firearms to terrorists and criminals. While we are appropriately discussing requiring criminal background checks on airline pilots, baggage handlers and airport security personnel, federal law does not require background checks on all firearms sales. In the interest of national security, this should be changed immediately.

Under the Brady Law, gun buyers must undergo criminal background checks only when they buy firearms from licensed dealers. And that law has made our communities safer, stopping nearly 700,000 criminals and other prohibited people from purchasing firearms in the seven years it has been in effect. This requirement has resulted in only a minor inconvenience to law-abiding citizens, which has been far outweighed by the strong benefit to society of keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.

Unfortunately, unlicensed sellers are permitted by law to sell firearms with no background check whatever. Millions of firearms change hands every year through this back-door yet perfectly legal method, giving criminals and terrorists remarkably easy and undetectable access to weapons. This legal loophole must be closed immediately. We can no longer allow the purchase of firearms through the Internet or a newspaper ad, at a gun show or a flea market, or in any other type of sale from an unlicensed seller, without any background check or other record of purchase. The stakes are too high.

While the reasons should be self-evident, there are numerous and chilling examples of the need to extend the background check to every firearm sale. Just last year, for example, a previously convicted felon and terrorist, Ali Boumelhem, went to a Michigan gun show, where he was legally exempt from a background check, and purchased assault weapons, shotguns, ammunition and flash suppressors that he intended to ship to the terrorist group Hezbollah. Fortunately, Boumelhem was already under FBI surveillance for suspected terrorism and was captured before he was able to ship the weapons to Hezbollah.

In Florida, four people were convicted last year of smuggling guns and other weapons from the state for use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. One of the convicted IRA terrorists, Conor Claxton, testified that he was shocked by the variety of weapons available in Florida at gun shows and through newspaper ads. “We have nothing like this at home,” he said.

Indeed, if Osama bin Laden, who is under indictment in this country for the bombing of our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, were to go to a willing or unwary unlicensed gun dealer at a gun show, no mechanism is in place to prevent him from obtaining a weapon of his choice. Unfortunately, the gaping holes in our current law have likely allowed thousands of undetected firearm purchases by criminals and terrorists. This kind of terrorist loophole in the laws of the United States is simply unacceptable and must be closed.

In addition to background checks on all gun sales, records used to check the eligibility of an individual to purchase a firearm should include whether the potential buyer is on an FBI or other law enforcement watch list of suspected terrorists. …

Congress must take immediate action to close these two gaping loopholes in the law. Our national security requires it. And the public should demand it.

Seems to me if we go down this road it would kill all private gun sales, even from neighbor to neighbor. Who has the money and ability to do background checks when it’s not their livelihood?

Comment Policy: Please read our new comment policy before making a comment. In short, please be respectful of others and do not engage in personal attacks. Otherwise we will revoke your comment privileges.

Nukeman60

And of course, we all know that had we had these individual firearm background checks, the terrorists would never have been able to crash those planes into those buildings, weilding those box cutter knives and all.

its sad, shutting the damn door alone probably would have prevented it. and the doors we put on afterwards darn sure would have, enough of a difference every aircraft needed to have its weight and balance sheets redone to make sure door weight did not affect the moment. I dealt with a hundred doors or so myself.
but no, we had (against wishes on many) a policy of giving in and hoping for the best. things never change really…

Well yeah. Because 9/11 only killed 3000 people that one time. A pretty pathetic ranking on the “what results in the most violent deaths” list.
What’s that, a good 3 months worth of gun homicides in a single given year? Yeah, why would the head of the DOJ be more concerned with something else.

StrangernFiction

A former resident of East Germany talks about where the ‘rats (with the help of the GOPE) are taking us:

Me, I tend to think, “Never let a waste (i.e. Eric Holder) get to any crisis.”

m0r0

Waste of skin.

HARP2

Difference Between Republicans and Democrats

A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.

The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republican’s pocket and gave the homeless person fifty dollars.

Now you understand the difference between Republicans and Democrats

27Words

My “handle” says it all… this euphorian lunatic has to go! He’s a statist of the worst kind!
27Words!

m0r0

do you mean utopian?

27Words

Yes, Thanks.

unclesamnephew

as Ted Nugent has said ” the Second Amendment is our concealed carry permit” enough said.

styxman65

Liberals have adopted a communist must, Take guns and god away from the people to control them….. Mr. Obama and Eric holder,,,, I WILL cling to my guns and my bible to protect my family from communist and now liberals.

edwardlee

Good for you, styxman65.

Frankns

That’s right, General Holder. I forgot how Osama and his boys got his 9/11 weapons from unlicensed dealers at gun shows.

What a maroon.

edwardlee

Brilliant deduction.

MaxineCA

In addition to the NRA, here’s another group that are trying to do something about it.

The agenda, to take down the Constitution, has been in place much longer than Obama’s been in office. But now that he is, it’s full speed ahead on shredding the greatest document in history except the Bible.

sjmom

Just another attack on the Constitution; this time the 2nd amendment.

RPercifield

Flight 93 essentially rendered the methodology of 911 moot and ineffective. The only way this type of attack occurs when the flight crew relinquishes control of the aircraft. It was FAA regs that directed flight crews accede to the demands of hijackers much like what they tell people to do in a robbery. Also the FAA allowed box cutters on flights as well. The FAA created and facilitated 911 by flawed thinking. When flight 93 rebelled, and fought them off, it was a turning point and the passengers on aircraft will no longer tolerate this type of activity. The only changes that were really needed were to stop the insanity of cooperation with these pathetic excuses for animated sentient protoplasm, and reasonable carry on rules.

Now we have swung so far in the opposite direction that any object that could cause damage to the skin is forbidden on the aircraft. Holder wanting us to be like sheeple exposed and vulnerable while he is protected by armed guards.

More and more people are taking responsibility for their own personal protection. Universities have adopted strategies for surviving horrors like what happened at Va Tech. Too bad people like Holder and his progressive cronies are so willing to risk our lives for their inane ideas. Maybe we should send them into Mogadishu unarmed and exposed. If they survive at least they would know what it would be like to be thrown to the wolves like the rest of us.

WordsFailMe

The first step to survival is making a pledge well before you are in a desperate situation. Clear your mind of all the pc crap, fear of consequences, the desire to let the authorities handle it, the feeling that “everything will be okay if we just stay calm and cooperate.” Look around at the people nearest you. In their eyes you will instantly detect who you can trust. Think. Move.

“I will do whatever it takes. Nothing and no one will stop me. Let’s roll.”

KenInMontana

I don’t dail 911, I dial 1911, because when SECONDS count, the Cops are only MINUTES away.

“Now we have swung so far in the opposite direction that any object that could cause damage to the skin is forbidden on the aircraft. Holder wanting us to be like sheeple exposed and vulnerable while he is protected by armed guards. ”

Yeah, that totally started in 2009. Keep up the good fight bro. Have you heard Obama invaded Afghanistan too? What was he thinking, that won’t end well.

You don’t have any dangerous looking water on you do you? You know that clear liquid was actually used in a bomb plot in the 90s, so we can’t be too careful.

RPercifield

When did Holder state this? 2001! At no time did I imply that this started with the coronation of the Obama administration in 2009. And yes you can bring items onto an aircraft to take it down. There are many chemicals that could do this very easily, and pass through the kabuki theater screening going on. The real problem is that the TSA is reactionary and not proactive. The threats are from people not things.

Reducing the pool of threats and concentrating resources onto them will improve the false positive rate, and reduce the false negative rate. Right now the false negative rate at most airports is about 46-60% from internal testing. Not good. Why do bureaucrats and liberals take actions against inanimate objects and not the people that use them? The fatigue factor itself is a well known driver in this. Even the full body scanners are significantly flawed as demonstrated in a video two weeks ago. But if you focus on the people that threaten us, you will be far more successful.

If you want to really discuss an issue I would suggest that you take your partisan glasses off, read the comment fully, understand the date of the original source, and perform some informed comments on the subject.

StandingGround

Yep, these morons we have for leaders (like Holder) are trying everything they can to squelch our Second Amendment rights. So, here I am, a mild mannered, 65 yo grandmother who has become “bitter” towards this regime because they keep stealing our freedoms. So I’m “clinging to my guns and religion” like never before. Every day I think I may need more fire power – maybe the new double barrel .45 pistol?

If they don’t leave us alone, crap is going to start hitting the fan. I guess I need to stockpile more food and be sure I can shoot straight!

As long as they are in power, these people are dangerous!

kong1967

Put your gun away for now, lol. Patience, we have November. After November all bets are off.

“Yep, these morons we have for leaders (like Holder) are trying everything they can to squelch our Second Amendment rights. ”

Trying everything other than actually restricting them in any way?
George Bush supported stem cell research to the same degree that Obama has restricted your 2nd amendment rights. Stop complaining how bad you have it in your nonsense little fantasy land you whiny little girl.
Permanently and hysterically crying wolf is not something which endears you to any cause.

StandingGround

Well, I guess you told me!

Whatever…

kong1967

These people are so stupid. Scratch that, I think Holder and most liberal politicians know the truth, but they take advantage of the stupidity of their sheep base.

Stopping legal gun sales would not deter terrorists or criminals. They don’t buy legal guns you stupid moron!! The only guns you keep off the streets and out of homes are the ones people buy to protect themselves!

I know Holder knows this. Like any other communist, he knows that the government cannot have full control until guns are removed to prevent an uprising when they bring tyranny to us.

Marky_D

Dead right! I’m in the UK and as I’m sure you know, we have very restrictive gun control (basically its only farmers and gun clubs that can even own guns). The law pretty much prohibits the private citizen from owning guns. Result? Only those that disregard the law – that would be criminals then – have guns.

kong1967

If I’m not mistaken your crime rates have risen since they stepped up gun control, right?

Marky_D

Sorry for the delay getting back to you… timezones and all that. To be honest, I wouldn’t know – you will struggle to find anyone in the UK that has any real idea of crime rates. The last government messed around with the way crime is measured to the point where both murder and rape are now not considered ‘violent crimes’… but, hey, it keeps the crime figures down, right? One things for certain though, gun crime has been consistently climbing for as long as I can remember. It’s almost as if the gun carrying criminals aren’t too worried about gun possession being illegal.

That’s pretty bad that they fudge the numbers by calling murder and rape non-violent crimes. I was pissed because Obama changed the way they figure unemployment rates…and that’s nothing compared to the lies you’re getting told (in the form of propanda and manipulated data).

Criminals don’t buy legal guns? Is this your defence of Fast an Furious and the booming border-states gun trade on behalf of the most prolific mass murderers this side of the Congo?

kong1967

What are you talking about? The gun shop blew the whistle on the ATF, which told the shop to sell the guns. Why? The Justice Department told the ATF to give the go to the gun shop. Those were not normal transactions that gun shops approve.

We aren’t even talking about the same thing. I was referring to gun crimes committed by individuals who register their guns. People who buy their guns legally have not intention of ever using them in a crime…and usually don’t. Gang members and day to day criminals get their guns off the black market and they are not registered.

If you’re looking for someone to blame for “Fast and Furious” you need to look at Holder. Those gun sales would never have happened if the gun shops weren’t told by OUR GOVERNMENT to make. Namely, Holder and Obama.

“Those gun sales would never have happened if the gun shops weren’t told by OUR GOVERNMENT to make. Namely, Holder and Obama.”

That’s childish and absurd. The Phoenix ATF ran the same operation under Obama that they ran under Bush. There is no indication that the executive was informed.

Meanwhile, who outside of a kindergarten thinks that the POTUS and AG are involved in telling the ATF in every state how to operate? Do they have time after telling the Secret Service how to spot counterfeit bills and the FBI where to look in kidnapping cases?
Boy, Lenny was unlucky to get arrested for smuggling cigarettes. I guess the North Korean 6 party talks ending so early meant Obama had some time on his hands.

kong1967

You better check your facts and stop drinking the liberal kool-aid. They did not run the same operations that Bush did. Bush and the Mexican government were working together. Obama never even told the Mexican government about the operation. Bush did not let 1400 guns go into Mexico without them being tracked. Obama did.

Well, according to the ATF agents, they WERE told by the U.S. Justice Department to make the sale. When some agents objected they were told to do it or find a job somehwere else. Holder was on video mentioning “Fast and Furious”, yet when he was asked when he first learned about it he mentioned a much later date (almost a year afterwards). Then he claimed the paperwork was on his desk but he never bothered to look at it. Yeah, right. Did you even pay attention to any of the testimony and the evidence uncovered?

Of course not. All you need is to listen to Obummer and the libtards.

You can say I’m childish and you can claim that the ATF didn’t get orders from the U.S. Justice Department, but you are dead wrong because there was TESTIMONY on that. Got anything else, “hope and change” bucket carrier?

“What are you talking about? The gun shop blew the whistle on the ATF, which told the shop to sell the guns”

I guess that 1 gun shop owner had a guilty conscious about all the other sales cartels necessary to kill 30,000 people. Or maybe it doesn’t involve just that one gun store.

Maybe it involves all the other ones who do a booming trade along the border for no reason they can put their finger on. Kind of like how convenience stores in Baltimore don’t know why they sell so many gas torch lighters. Or why water pipe sales have spiked in California. Maybe tobacco is making a comeback!

KenInMontana

Okay you’ve bored me to tears, go troll elsewhere.

kong1967

Ha, ha, you’re so funny!!

It’s legal to sell guns, and just like a good liberal you have a problem with the Constitution. Sorry, bud. They gave us a right to bear arms, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

OMG, the guy used the nation paying attention to the violent deaths of 3,000 in one year to argue that something should be done to address the cause of these far more significant numbers every year……

There were 52,447 deliberate and 23,237 accidental non-fatal gunshot injuries in the United States during 2000. The majority of gun-related deaths in the United States are suicides, with 17,352 (55.6%) of the total 31,224 firearm-related deaths in 2007 due to suicide, while 12,632 (40.5%) were homicide deaths.

“Just last year, for example, a previously convicted felon and terrorist, Ali Boumelhem, went to a Michigan gun show, where he was legally exempt from a background check, and purchased assault weapons, shotguns, ammunition and flash suppressors that he intended to ship to the terrorist group Hezbollah.”

He called Hezbollah a terrorist group!! He CAN say the word “terrorist” after all. Wow.